You Are Cordially Invited
' |image= |series= |production=40510-531 |producer(s)= |story= |script= Ronald D. Moore |director= David Livingston |imdbref=tt0708667 |guests=J. G. Hertzler as Martok, Marc Worden as Alexander Rozhenko, Shannon Cochran as Sirella, Chase Masterson as Leeta, Aron Eisenberg as Nog, Max Grodénchik as Rom and Sidney S. Liufau as Manuele Atoa |previous_production=Sacrifice of Angels |next_production=Resurrection |episode=DS9 S06E07 |airdate=10 November1997 |previous_release=(DS9) Sacrifice of Angels (Overall) Year of Hell |next_release=(DS9) Resurrection (Overall) Year of Hell Part 2 |story_date(s)=51247.5 (2374) |previous_story=(DS9) Sacrifice of Angels (Overall) Year of Hell |next_story=(DS9) Resurrection (Overall) Year of Hell Part 2 }} Summary DS9 is now the headquarters for the Ninth Fleet. Sisko and Kira are both happy to have things getting back to something like normal. Martok is less happy about being put in charge of the Ninth Fleet, as it means more paperwork. Alexander is being transferred to the Ya’Vang, along with most of the Rotarran crew. Dax suggests to Worf that they get married right away on the station, instead of waiting until the end of the war to have it on Qo’noS. Worf agrees, and asks Alexander to be his sword-bearer. Dax and Kira talk about the wedding, and how much Worf has been looking forward to having a traditional Klingon ceremony. And after going through five Trill weddings, she’s well and truly sick of the pomp and circumstance, and is more than happy to defer to Worf. However, first she must be approved by Martok’s wife, Sirella, since Dax is marrying into the House of Martok. Sirella, however, doesn’t actually approve of much of anything, not Martok, not Worf, and certainly not Dax. Worf is surprised to learn that Sirella not only doesn’t approve of the wedding, she never approved of Worf being made part of the House of Martok. However, Martok was within his rights to bring Worf in—but the matters of household are entirely her domain as the Lady of the House, and Martok will not try to influence her decision, and he strongly suggests Worf not do so, either. Worf asks Martok, Sisko, O’Brien, and Bashir to undergo kal’hyah with him and Alexander—the closest Klingon equivalent to a bachelor party, a four-day ritual. The five of them must go through six trials: deprivation, blood, pain, sacrifice, anguish, and death. Alexander doesn’t handle it all that well, but he insists on continuing the ritual. Bashir and O’Brien don’t do that much better, and at one point they’re hanging from a bar plotting Worf’s demise. Sirella rides Dax pretty hard over her part of the ritual, making her go through it three times, and Sirella tries to talk her into abandoning the marriage, for she will always be an outsider. Dax’s angry response is to do it a fourth time. She also spoils the the recitation of Sirella’s family by introducing a dose of reality (like the fact that the founders of the Third Dynasty took on the names of the members of the Second Dynasty to create the illusion of an unbroken line, meaning Sirella’s ancestor wasn’t an emperor’s daughter, but a concubine who took the emperor’s daughter’s name). Dax decides to throw a party in her quarters, complete with a fire-twirler, music, dancing, and food. Odo comes in with two deputies following up on noise complaints. Kira says the party will continue on her authority. It’s the first time Kira and Odo have actually spoken, as they’ve been avoiding each other since the Dominion left the station. Finally they decide to sit and talk. Sirella then interrupts the party, and when Dax refuses to end the celebrating to perform another ritual, they get into a brief clash that ends with Sirella cancelling the wedding. The next morning, a hung over Dax and Worf talk about what happened. As far as Dax is concerned, Worf can finish his part of the ritual, and then they can get married in Sisko’s office. Worf is aghast at that notion, and says that maybe Sirella was right. Martok goes to Worf on the Defiant, saying he has made a grave error. Worf admits that he does love Dax, but they are very mismatched. Martok points out that we can’t chose who we fall in love with. Sirella is no more who he expected to marry than Dax is who Worf expected. But to deny that love over a point of honor just leaves you alone with that honor, and honor isn’t very comforting when there’s no one to share it with… So Worf goes to Dax to apologize, but she doesn’t accept it. So Sisko goes to talk to her, to remind her that she isn’t Curzon, who was a Federation ambassador to the Klingon Empire and helped negotiate the Khitomer Accords. She’s a young woman who wants to marry into Sirella’s family. And if she’s going to expect to be treated like Curzon, she should also know that kissing Sirella’s ass was always going to be part of the deal. She’s leaving it pretty late in the game to start complaining about Klingon ritual, especially when she herself was going on earlier to Kira about how cute Worf is about it. And so Dax admits that she wants to marry Worf and she accepts Worf’s apology and she sucks up to Sirella, and everyone goes to Quark’s. Sirella starts the ceremony, talking of the gods creating the Klingon heart, and then creating another so the Klingon heart would not be alone. When the two hearts began to beat together, they became so powerful they destroyed the gods who created them. Sirella closes by saying that no force can stop two Klingon hearts beating together—adding, “Not even me.” She marries them, welcomes Dax into the House of Martok, and then Sisko, O’Brien, Martok, and Bashir attack the groom. Errors and Explanations Nit Central # Keith Alan Morgan on Friday, April 30, 1999 - 7:04 am: If Worf truly considered O'Brien, Bashir and Sisko his closest friends, then why didn't he tell them what they were in for? Would you do that to your best friends? For that matter why didn't Sisko, O'Brien and Bashir ask Worf what the ceremony entailed? Were they just deluding themselves about what a Klingon Bachelor Party was like so they wouldn't chicken out? In The Icarus Factor O'Brien participated in the tenth anniversary of Worf's Age of Ascension, so he should have known what kind of parties the Klingon's like to throw. Cybermortis on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 6:53 pm: The real nit is why none of them bothered to ask what was going to happen before hand. Failing that why didn't one of them think to check with the computer? # And speaking of Worf's closest friends, where was Riker, Geordi, Data, Counselor Troi, Dr. Crusher, Dr. Pulaski, and his cha'DIch, Captain Picard? For that matter, where were Worf's adoptive parents By norman on Saturday, May 01, 1999 - 12:28 am: The wedding was suddenly moved up (because Alexander was leaving), so there was not enough time to get members of the Enterprise or Worf's adopted family (especailly with a war going on, in consideration of the latter). Cybermortis on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 6:53 pm: The Enterprise E at this time was still on her shakedown cruise and being kept away from Dominion space. We discover this in First Contact, which takes place later in the year. # In Reunion, the Klingon wedding ceremony seemed to be two Klingons shouting out an oath, but here it is a big involved fancy shmancy ceremony. Why the difference? Or is the shouting actually just the proposal for a wedding? Cybermortis on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 6:53 pm: This may not be a nit. Dax is marrying into the house of Marok, of which Worf is a member but not the head of the house. K'Ehlyer would have been marrying into the house of Morg, which Worf as eldest son was the head of (And which didn't have any surviving women who are responsable for accepting wives into the house). Further, as Worf was the only known member of his house he may not have been able to hold the full Traditional ceremony as seen here - it would also explain why he was so insistant on the Traditional wedding. Before now he may not have been able to hold one. # In the ceremony it is said that the beating of two Klingon hearts destroyed the Gods, but in Paradise Lost (I think) Worf said that Klingon heroes killed the Gods because they were too much trouble. (Not necessarily a nit, since Earth has thousands of different creation myths. So it could be said that the House of Martak has a different mythological history than the myths that Worf learned as a boy, but when they discuss Klingon culture they seem to refer to it as one culture and not a melding of cultures.) Cybermortis on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 6:53 pm: Its not a nit. The ceremony didn't require Worf or Dax to swear to the Gods or require or imply that they were watching/involved in it. There also is nothing said to indicate that Klingons didn't kill their gods at a later point in their mythology. Category:Episodes Category:Deep Space Nine